During the period around 1885, getting the machines to work properly was the foremost priority amongst the early phase of product manufacturing. Design aesthetics came later. The first typewriters, electric shavers, sewing machines and airplanes had no external shell.

Fig.1 compares the original forms of these early machines with later versions (Heskett 1980).  Products like cameras and submarines did have a shell.


Fig.1 -  Early Product Development

References:
http://www.angelfire.com/oz/edomar/index2.htm
http://www.chuckstoyland.com/national/19101914/ accessed in May 2010.